When Zack Snyder’s official cut of Justice League arrived on HBO Max in 2021, after four years of heated debate about its existence, it was something of a revelation. The misaligned theatrical cut directed by Joss Whedon was a massive disappointment to both critics and fans, and its obvious existence as an ineffective “Frankenstein’s Monster” of a movie only made hardcore DCEU fans more curious as to what Snyder’s operatic, mythic depiction of those larger-than-life characters would look like on-screen. Although Batman v. Superman ended its theatrical run with a staggering $874 million box office run, to the Powers That Be, it was a failure (considering the massive $300+ million budget), and the wide audience of the time felt like it was far too dour in comparison to the kinds of superhero movies that had been dominating the market since 2008.
Director’s cuts have existed in some form or fashion for decades now, but the Snyder Cut represented a renewal in the concept for modern audiences. And, 45 years after its initial release on June 19, 1981, Richard Donner’s eventual cut of Superman II is, in its own way, the blueprint for both the Snyder Cut as well as the current DCU cinematic universe.
